As Ultra-Long-Haul Flying Takes Off, Air New Zealand Eyes Auckland-New York

Air New Zealand took possession of its first Boeing. 787-9 in Auckland on , July 11, 2014. Photographer: Brendon O'Hagan/Bloomberg

If ultra-long haul flying is the last frontier of aviation, just waiting to be explored, than Air New Zealand can't wait to get started.

Geography makes Air New Zealand, based in a remote country of five million, an obvious player. The two longest flights in the world both serve Auckland, and four of the top five longest flights (operating or scheduled to operate) serve Auckland or Sydney.

“We are one of top five airlines in world in terms of distance,” said CEO Christopher Luxon in an interview. “We end up flying a normal [international] flight 12 or 13 hours.”

In December 2015, Air New Zealand began Auckland-Houston, a flight of about 7,400 miles, not quite long enough to crack the list of the world’s ten longest flights. Luxon said he envisions flying to New York (about 8,800 miles) and Chicago once the airline secures new airplanes.

Air New Zealand serves four U.S. destinations – Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Los Angeles has two daily flights. United, which has hubs in all three continental U.S. cities, is a Star Alliance partner.

Chicago is also a United hub: Luxon said he has not yet evaluated whether the carrier would serve United’s Newark hub or New York Kennedy.

The U.S.-New Zealand market, Luxon said, is primarily for “premium leisure travelers,” a market Air New Zealand targets with high service levels. The carrier does not follow “the corporate road warrior model” that is common to U.S. airlines, he said.